Paul Wells

Paul Wells: A Career Defined by Political Insight and Narrative Depth

We’ve followed Paul Wells’s work for decades as he’s become one of Canada’s most authoritative voices in political journalism. His career spans print, digital, and podcasting, marked by incisive analysis and a commitment to contextualizing power dynamics.

Career Trajectory: From Print to Podcasting

Wells began his career at The Gazette in Montreal before joining Maclean’s in 1996, where he spent 19 years as a senior columnist. His tenure there solidified his reputation for dissecting federal politics with a blend of wit and rigor. In 2022, he transitioned to Substack and podcasting, embracing independent journalism while maintaining his focus on Ottawa’s power structures.

• 1996–2015: Shaped Maclean’s political coverage, profiling leaders from Jean Chrétien to Stephen Harper.
• 2016–2021: Authored columns for the Toronto Star and hosted CPAC’s In Conversation series.
• 2022–present: Launched his Substack newsletter and The Paul Wells Show podcast, interviewing figures like Michael Wernick and Margaret MacMillan.

Key Articles and Analysis

• Election week 3: The Age of Coercion (Paul Wells Show, 2025) This podcast episode dissects the evolving relationship between Canada’s civil service and elected officials during election cycles. Wells interviews former Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick, who warns of growing political pressure on bureaucratic independence. The analysis ties historical precedents to contemporary challenges, emphasizing the risks of conflating governance with short-term partisan agendas. Wells’s questioning reveals how institutional erosion could impact policy continuity, a theme he revisits often in his Substack writings.
• What goes around comes around and its name is Charest (Maclean’s, 2023) In this column, Wells critiques Jean Charest’s attempted political resurgence, framing it within broader patterns of Canadian leadership cycles. He contrasts Charest’s federalist legacy in Quebec with Pierre Poilievre’s populist rhetoric, using archival research and interviews to highlight shifting Conservative Party dynamics. The piece exemplifies Wells’s ability to connect personal political narratives to national trends, a hallmark of his Maclean’s era work.
• Margaret MacMillan’s world (Paul Wells Show, 2023) Wells engages historian Margaret MacMillan on parallels between early 20th-century geopolitics and modern crises. Their discussion of Ukraine, Brexit, and Xi Jinping’s China policy showcases Wells’s skill at bridging academic expertise with current affairs. The episode’s live audience format at the University of Toronto underscores his commitment to public intellectual engagement.

Beat Analysis and Pitching Recommendations

1. Focus on Policy Over Partisanship

Wells prioritizes substantive policy analysis over partisan horse-race coverage. His 2025 podcast episode with Shannon Proudfoot scrutinized campaign rhetoric about pharmacare and climate funding, emphasizing measurable outcomes rather than political theater. Pitches should highlight underreported policy impacts, like interprovincial healthcare agreements or defense procurement reforms.

2. Historical Context Matters

His interview with MacMillan demonstrated how Wells frames current events through historical lenses. Successful pitches might explore modern parallels to 1990s deficit reduction strategies or the evolution of federal-provincial fiscal arrangements since the 1982 Constitution Act.

3. Canadian Global Positioning

While domestic focused, Wells frequently analyzes Canada’s international role, as seen in his 2023 discussion of Trump’s influence on Canada-U.S. relations with Jason Kenney. Pitches about Arctic sovereignty challenges or multilateral trade frameworks would align with this interest.

Pitch Tips

• Avoid celebrity-driven or hyper-local angles
• Emphasize cross-jurisdictional policy analysis
• Highlight undercovered parliamentary committee work
• Connect cultural shifts to governance (e.g., digital media’s impact on legislation)
• Provide access to civil service veterans for institutional memory insights

Awards and Achievements

• Three Gold National Magazine Awards: Recognized for investigative series on Quebec separatism (2008) and climate policy (2012), cementing his reputation for blending narrative flair with rigorous reporting.
• Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing (2014): Awarded for The Longer I’m Prime Minister, still considered the definitive analysis of Stephen Harper’s governance style.
• Poland’s Gold Cross of Merit (2015): Honored for improving Canada-Poland relations through reporting on Eastern European security issues.